Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets looks on in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, June 12, 2023. /CFP
Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets joined Canada's extended roster for the coming FIBA Basketball World Cup, according to The Athletic. The NBA champion guard and the Oklahoma City Thunder's All-NBA First Team member Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) will make a dominant backcourt pair for the team.
Murray, 26, previously promised to play for Canada in the World Cup. He didn't enter the offseason until June 12 because the Nuggets went through four playoff series to win their first title in franchise history. Murray averaged 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists and three triples at 39.6 percent per game for the team.
Though the Thunder didn't appear in the playoffs, SGA had the best-performing season of his career during the 2022-23 campaign. He scored 31.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals and one block per game as one of the league's top slashers and isolation scorers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on in the game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 6, 2023. /CFP
There are other NBA players attending Canada's training camp as well: Dillon Brooks of the Houston Rockets, RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks, Luguentz Dort of the Thunder, Nickeil Alexander-Walker of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kelly Olynyk of the Utah Jazz, Oshae Brissett of the Indiana Pacers, Cory Joseph of the Detroit Pistons and Dwight Powell of the Dallas Mavericks.
Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors, Shaedon Sharpe of the Portland Trail Blazers, Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard of the Indiana Pacers are not on Canada's 18-player roster. The team can only take 12 of them to the World Cup. They are in Group H with France, Latvia and Lebanon. They will compete at the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta, Indonesia.
RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks looks on during Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, May 12, 2023. /CFP
France finished the last edition of the tournament in China in 2019 as third. They have three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert as their defensive spine. Latvia's ace is Kristaps Porzingis, who joined the Boston Celtis during this offseason. In his healthiest form since the 2017-18 season, he averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 2.1 triples at 38.5 percent per game last season.
There are seven teams from the Americas participating in the World Cup: USA, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil. They will compete for two automatic qualification berths for the Paris Olympics in 2024.